“I’ll do it.” Scott Miller, tall and strong, went straight under the carrying pole, lifted the baskets with effort, and as the pole pressed down on his shoulder, his expression changed noticeably, as if he was in pain. Then he took a couple of steps, and the baskets and pole immediately lost balance, starting to spin in place. Soon, one end became heavier than the other, and the whole thing slipped off his shoulder, causing the grain and oil to spill out of the baskets.

Fortunately, the grain was packed in plastic bags and the oil was sealed in plastic jugs, so nothing was spilled and everything could be put back as it was.

Scott Miller, refusing to give up, packed everything up again, set the pole, ducked under it, and stood up, doing his best to keep the baskets balanced on both sides.

He was like the pillar in the center of a scale, and it was extremely difficult to keep the weights on both sides balanced. Standing still was manageable, but once he started moving, he would definitely sway and stagger.

If it weren’t for Richard Grant’s guidance, James Carter would have really thought that carrying a pole was useless. But now he could see that carrying a pole and digging with a hoe were both forms of martial arts.

William Clark was truly teaching them a secret art.

Richard Grant had explained the “hoe and mattock” move in great detail, which gave James Carter many insights. He watched William Clark’s actions intently, then looked at Scott Miller’s clumsy movements.

Although Scott Miller was physically strong, he really wasn’t as good at farm work as some old farmers who had done it for years. Especially with tasks like carrying loads and digging, it seemed easy at first, but over time it became pure torture.

The students in this training class all tried to imitate William Clark in carrying the pole, heading out of the school.

But after walking a kilometer with the pole, everyone was grimacing in pain, their shoulders rubbed raw, and their waists and spines aching from the pressure.

This was much harder than digging and turning the soil.

“When you’re carrying the pole, move with your steps, rise and fall together, control your breathing and rhythm. Especially when you step forward, use your whole body’s strength to toss the load off your shoulder, so you can relax for a moment. When the load comes down, use your shoulder to absorb the force, channeling it down to your feet. Watch my movements.” William Clark strode forward with ease, the heavy load rising and falling with the pole on his shoulder, bouncing lightly as if butterflies were fluttering, as if there was no weight at all.

James Carter had the deepest understanding of martial arts force. Observing his posture, he immediately grasped the secret of carrying the pole.

It truly contained the essence of boxing.

First, you squat and duck under the pole. This move was extremely clever, like the ducking motion in boxing, but even more advanced. While attacking the opponent’s lower body, you could also grapple, throw, and reduce your own target area.

Then, in one motion, you lift the heavy load. This upward force comes from the waist, legs, and spine pushing up together. As you walk, the jostling of the load is managed by alternating tension and relaxation in the body, moving the heavy load along.

This is the force of tossing, not just carrying flat.

In this way, you avoid straining your back muscles, stretch your tendons and bones, and train your balance. You have to know, with a load of over a hundred pounds bouncing lightly on your shoulder, without strong balance, you’d immediately stagger and fall.

“The wisdom of the ancients is truly unimaginable. Their understanding of bodily movement had already reached the limit. You really can comprehend profound kung fu from farm work.” James Carter carried the pole and got into the rhythm, surprisingly not feeling very tired.

“I can’t do it anymore, I need a break.” After leaving the school and walking about a kilometer, Scott Miller was exhausted, like a dead dog. He walked up to James Carter, put down the pole, gasping for breath, rubbing his shoulder and waist, and looked at him strangely: “Why aren’t you tired? Have you done farm work before?”

“No, but I used some technique.” James Carter demonstrated for Scott Miller, bouncing the load. “The trick is to jostle it. The moment you toss the load up, you get a chance to relax your whole body and breathe. Even though it’s less than a second, once you get the rhythm, it’s like you’re resting half the time.”

He had learned this relaxation and tension from Richard Grant.

“It’s only been a day, but you seem like a different person. Did you learn some kung fu from someone, or did someone pass on decades of skill to you?” Scott Miller said awkwardly in Chinese.

“Do you think this is a novel? Someone passing me decades of skill?” James Carter was amused by Scott Miller. If they were in the ring, he definitely wouldn’t be a match for Scott Miller, but when it came to farm work, he seemed to be a bit better.

Everyone in this training class spent the whole day carrying loads.

Pain was written on everyone’s faces, even those with a martial arts background found it hard to endure.

Only James Carter, who had mastered the rhythm of rising and falling, felt a bit tired at first, but later found it more and more comfortable. Especially while walking and bouncing the load, he felt that when the load came down, the force was like hammering steel, forging his muscles and bones to become stronger and stronger.